Quarterly Membership Lunch

Join us for MCHA updates, happenings and a welcome wine tasting featuring Hahn Family wines.

Featuring Guest Speaker Barb Newton, CEO California Travel Association (CalTravel) 

CalTravel's CEO Barb Newton will discuss the mission of the organization and how it is different from Visit California, the priority advocacy issues facing California’s travel, tourism and hospitality industry right now, and the plans for the 40th annual CalTravel Summit which will be held at the Monterey Conference Center September 19-21, 2023.

A big thank you to our May Quarterly Membership Lunch Partner - Monterey County Business Council

About Barb Newton, President & CEO, California Travel Association

California Travel Association (CalTravel) is the influential, unified voice of advocacy for the travel and tourism industry in California. As President and CEO, Barb Newton is responsible for leading the organization to protect and advance travel and tourism’s interests through advocacy, collaboration, and education. 

Prior to joining CalTravel in 2014, she was President of Sunset Publishing, a diversified publishing company based on the leading media brand in the West. Under her leadership, Sunset launched and grew award-winning California events, an international wine competition, new digital travel tools and partnerships with many California travel and tourism organizations and businesses. 

She came to Sunset from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she was President of Reiman Media Group, a lifestyle media company that included an international tours company and travel magazine. She began her career at Rodale, Inc., where she rose to SVP Managing Director of Women’s Heath Worldwide. Newton has also consulted on strategic planning and business development for clients such as National Geographic, AAA, General Mills, Time Inc., Rodale Inc. and Reader’s Digest. 

Newton serves on the boards of U.S. Travel, Education Week, CSU Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, and the Cal Poly EIM Advisory Board, and has a BA and MA from Lehigh University. She and her husband Jeff have two children and live in Woodside, California with their beach-loving dogs.

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